Pieces of the Heart
by tigersmeleth
Summary: It is the end of King Elessar’s reign and it is time for the last of the Fellowship to pass into the undying lands. Arwen is broken hearted and fades. Legolas prepares to leave for Valinor, all the while dealing with grief from Aragorn’s death and m


Here it is you guys...you finally have it. The sequel to "A Night With Ada". This isn't the end though, it is actually the second part of a trilogy. I don't know when part three will be out. Hopefully sometime soon after I come back from Paris. But before I ramble on any further, to all who reviewed the previous fic...thank you all very much. Those comments meant a lot to me, and I hope that you find this part as enjoyable as the last.  
  
DEDICATION: It's been a rough couple of weeks for me, and I want to dedicate this story to the three people who have helped me live through it. The first goes to my sister, Alanna, who tolerated my insanity when I was writing my fic, I love you! The second goes to my heart sister Sarah, who kindly read this story over and over again at my pesky insistence (thank you!). Finally to the one who captured my heart, you know who you are, thank you for caring for me, and for making me smile when I needed to. Thank you, I couldn't have written this without anyone of you guys.  
  
SUMMARY: It is the end of King Elessar's reign and it is time for the last of the Fellowship to pass into the undying lands. Arwen is broken hearted and fades. Legolas prepares to leave for Valinor, all the while dealing with grief from Aragorn's death and memories of a time past.  
  
DISCLAIMER: I don't own anything in this wonderful world of Middle-Earth. Everything belongs to Tolkien.  
  
SPOILERS: None that I can think of.  
  
AUTHOR'S NOTES: This is the first fic that I have written that is really a fic that isn't modified from some other thing that I have written...so please be nice! About Gimli going to Valinor...I don't know how that happened, so I didn't really bother with explaining it cause I'm not sure how they were able to communicate with Galadriel. This is a little AU in that somethings have been changed around, but it's mostly little things like Arwen fades with Legolas to comfort her, not alone....please don't kill me for that. Otherwise, have fun reading and I hope that not many tissues are required! On with the story.  
  
Pieces of the Heart  
By Tiger  
  
The hands were large and weathered, but gave no sign of age or upcoming death. Even now, during the last few moments of life, they were as strong as they were a hundred years ago when they grasped a sword or held a loved one. But life was slowly leaving those strong hands. The two who held his hands could feel it flow away. Together, they each grasped one hand and held it to their hearts as if by loving the man, they could force his life back into him. But alas, death was the doom and the gift of men, once death touched a man, there was no stopping it.  
  
Legolas sat at his side, shell-shocked. The moment he had dreaded with all of his heart had finally come. The brother of his heart was leaving Middle- Earth forever. He had known that this day was coming since he met Elessar as the child Estel. He had known for the past year that this day was coming. And yet, he still refused to accept it. He held the hand close to him, afraid to let it go, for fear that what life remained in Estel would pass if he let go.  
Arwen sat on his other side, regal and beautiful. She too, hand known this moment would come. She held the hand lovingly to her porcelain face and let it trace the delicate features, kissing the fingers as they lightly traced the red lips for the last time. Tears fell from her eyes as she saw the life slowly leave her meleth's eyes with the rising of the morning's bright sun.  
  
For days and nights, both had been trying to face the truth about the once able-bodied man on the bed before them. It was only last night that they had come to accept that the one they loved would leave and die forever. All night they kept a vigil by his side, unwilling to let him leave Arda alone. For much of the night his breathing had been shallow as he slept. The man before then awoke just as the sun began to rise on the one hundred and twentieth year of his noble reign.  
  
"Meleth nin, Mellon nin..." he spoke at last, his voice dry and cracking. "It is at this hour I must take my leave from this life. I have held the hands of death for as long as I have been able to, so that I may say a final farewell to the two who have touched my heart the most." He took a shuddering breath but was interrupted before he could continue.  
  
"Rest, mellon nin," Legolas said, his stoic voice beginning to choke. "save your strength, there is still life within you." His eyes began to fill with the tears he longed to shed, but forced himself not to, he would not have Aragorn's last sight of him be one of mourning and grief. He would not mar his own last moments with Aragorn with tears.  
  
"Not much life for me left to live. Eru has allowed me to live this long. I must repay this gift and go to him," was Aragorn's reply as his hand tightened on Legolas' own. He turned towards his wife. Through their bond, he could sense her grief and knew that she would fade not long after he passed. "Undomiel," he whispered into her mind. "Do not grieve for my passing."  
  
"How can I not, Estel?" she cried in return, the tears falling even faster. "You are my reason for being. What do I have left on this world when you pass?"  
  
"You have our children and grandchildren. You are the Evenstar of Gondor, you are their Queen. What do you have on this world? You have the love of your family and people." Was his gentle answer. Arwen shook her head and smiled sadly.  
  
"No, meleth nin. The children have not needed me for many long years and you know that even the Evenstar must fade if she loses her reason to remain bright, for what is she without her heart?" she spoke out loud. The quiet that had begun to fill her mind had become frightening. She hadn't been alone for so long, not since she bonded herself to Estel. He said nothing but let his hands fall from her face to the pale skin of her breast, where the Evenstar once lay.  
  
"Your beauty will never fade, Arwen, never. It will always be in the hearts of immortals." He looked into her frightened eyes and wished that he had the strength to gather her into his arms and comfort her, but he could not, so he only hoped that his hand over her heart was enough.  
  
"Neither shall you, Estel," Legolas said gently. "Neither shall you, not as long as you remain in our hearts, and in Gondor's history. He could see the light starting to fade faster now. He glanced outside the window. Long hours had passed. The sun was nearly overheard. Its brightness shone gloriously on Estel, erasing the lines drawn by the hands of time on his face. "I shall miss you." Legolas said sadly, simply. That was all that needed to be said between them.  
  
"And I you, mellon nin, for what shall I do without our mishaps and pranks?" Both men chuckled slightly, their minds returning to the happy carefree days of youth. Then Aragorn felt it, the shortness of breath, the sudden weakness in his limbs, the light that was to guide him to the Halls of Mandos. Looking into each other's eyes, they bid each other a silent farewell, with Aragorn's eyes telling Legolas to care for Arwen, before she faded. Legolas' eyes answered with a silent promise.  
  
I will care for her, mellon nin, when you cannot. I will not let her spend the rest of her days in complete unhappiness, he thought. His heart was so full that he thought that it would burst at any moment. He held fast to Aragorn.  
  
Aragorn turned his eyes away from Legolas to his weeping wife. "Namarie, my love. It will not be long, we will meet again." With that farewell, the life of Elessar Aragorn Elrondrion Telcontar passed. It was quick, it was quiet. The sun was now directly above them. It seemed as if the greatest star of them all came to journey with Aragorn into the great unknown. The body, freed of the stress and burden of life became younger and was the body of Elessar Telcontar no more. It was no longer the body of a king, but the body of the man Aragorn Estel. The change did not go unnoticed. The other two saw it and grieved even more for now their memories pained them.  
  
Arwen broke down sobbing, letting go of Estel's lifeless hands, kissing the cold lips, she shook his shoulders all the while crying "Estel! Estel!" Finally, she could bear the silence of her mind no more and her cries filled the room while she tried to fill the silence in her mind. She held him and wept into his shoulder, wanting it to comfort her as it used to. She felt a hand stroke her hair and looked up quickly, thinking that perhaps the Illuvatar had granted Aragorn the gift of second life, as he did with Beren. But it was only Legolas trying to fulfill his final promise. She was disappointed for a moment, but only a moment. She flew into his arms, nearly knocking the elf down with the force. But she only wanted someone alive to be with her, He rocked her back and forth, holding her and comforting her as a brother would a sister as she cried her grief away.  
  
Eldarion rushed into the room, having heard his mother's agonized cries. He didn't need to see the still form on the bed to know that his father had passed. He bowed his head, letting the tears run. He called in his father's guard and let them prepare the body for the funeral. "Safe journey, Ada" he whispered before leading his mother to her rooms where she could mourn in privacy. He let Legolas take care of himself, knowing that the elf needed to be alone.  
  
When Arwen was taken from him and Aragorn carried away, Legolas stood by the window, looking out , ever moving until night had fallen. When his eyes caught the first twinkling of the stars, he looked up, hoping to see a new one. Estel was not truly an elf, but he was just as much an elf at heart as he was human. Legolas silently prayed to the Illuvatar to allow Estel a star for the comfort of men and the remaining of elves. One star caught his eyes. It was not as bright as most, but it was there, in the sky, near Gil-Estel. He smiled and reached for the star, knowing that he would never be able to touch it. "Estel," he said softly, and thought that he heart a soft whisper of "mellon nin" with the breeze.  
  
He finally left the room. He saw his friend's star, heard the whisper of his voice with the breeze. He walked silently down the halls of the palace, taking in the sights and sounds. He could not find solace in the trees nor the stars at the moment. As he walked inside his room, he saw a fire blazing. Sitting in a chair, he let the blaze warm him as he fell into a trance between wakefulness and dreams. In the trance he was sitting, but he was alone. There was no one there to soothe his mourning mind. Struck by the sudden need to have something of his Ada's near him, he got up and walked to the bookshelf. The leather binding flickered in the light, He ran the tips of his fingers over the titles until they found the right one. He pulled it out. It was a large book, partially filled. He opened it to the first page, slowly reading the words written in the flowing elvish.  
  
"Ion nin," it began, in his mind, Legolas could hear his father's voice as  
the pen scratched the page. It would have been late at night, in his father's study in Mirkwood. "It has been so long since I have been able to sit down and hold our hand as I used to. Many times since you joined the Fellowship I have feared more for your life then ever. The only solace I can find for my loneliness is by reading what we have written together over the years. Ion nin, my time here on Middle-Earth grows short. I do  
not think that I will be here for long after you return. The previous journal has been filled with my hand and yours. It is time to start a new one. I have copied some of what we have written together, for your heart, to be read when you need the comfort of a father. Mark my words ion nin, you will need the comfort. I do not think it necessary to explain to you why. Namarie, my Legolas. We will see each other on the white shores of  
Valinor. ~Ada"  
  
Legolas flipped the page, his eyes moving to the first entry written there. His mind meandered back to the time when it was written...  
  
Fourth Age, Year Three  
  
It was daylight, just past noon. Legolas and Thranduil of Eryn Lasglen sat together behind the ornate desk in front of the window the overlooked the southern shore. Outside, the ship was being prepared for its departure to Valinor.  
  
"Come, Legolas," his father said. "We do not have much time before I depart."  
  
"Why? Why must you leave now? The Ring has been destroyed, I won't go away again." Now that it was time for his father to leave, he felt like a child again, always wanting his father to be close. "We have all of the time in Arda, why can you not stay longer?" He knew that he was whining, but he couldn't help it. Thranduil only smiled a small, sad smile.  
  
"Ion, you know that Arda belongs to men now, as well as the Silvan elves. Eryn Lasglen has been gone for many years and I have grown weary of this land. Long has your naneth been waiting for me, and even longer she has been waiting for you." He held out the quill to his son. "Come, hold out your hand, it is time." He closed Legolas' outstretched hand around the quill and took it in his own. A smile came to his face as the memory of a time long gone played in his mind for the hundredth time that day.  
  
Legolas noticed the change in his father. "Ada, what is it? Why are you smiling?" He knew that it was some long forgotten memory, for his father wore his wistful smile only when he wished to remember. Thranduil did not answer for awhile.  
  
"Do you remember, Legolas, when you were four, the night you sleepily walked into my room with your stuffed bear?" asked Thranduil. Legolas laughed, his gloom momentarily gone.  
  
"How can I forget? I could barely reach the desk, even when I was in your lap!" They laughed even harder at the memory. "Let's do it again, Ada" said Legolas softly as he saw the supplies and possessions being loaded onto the ship.  
  
"Yes, ion nin, let's" Thranduil echoed. Thranduil stood over Legolas and guided his hand through the last words that they would write together for an eternity.  
  
"The War of the Ring is over, and Legolas is happy with his Estel in  
Gondor. He has finally grown up, although he is still but a mere princeling in the eyes of Thranduil. Thranduil visits often, even through  
he is the king of Eryn Lasglen. They finished their two thousandth journal. Thranduil must leave Legolas now, even though his heart wishes that didn't have to. Looking at Legolas' face, he wishes that Thranduil didn't have to as well. They sit together, writing and reliving the past. It will be the last of the writing for a very long time. This is the end  
for now. Legolas writes alone until he chooses to pass."  
  
They finished the entry and there was not much to say after that. They silently walked to the dock. All was silent except for the splash of the waves against the ship and the soft banter of the elves as they finished loading. One by one, the elves of Thranduil's company bid farewell to what friends and loved ones they would leave behind. Finally, it was Thranduil's turn to board the ship. He turned to Legolas, who was next to him, clutching his father's arm, afraid to let go. "It is time, Legolas, I must go," he said ashe gently dislodged his son's hands.  
  
"Ada-"Legolas said, his voice suddenly choking. He couldn't speak the words he really wanted to say, they stuck in his throat. "Please," he choked out, the tears in his eyes ready to fall.  
  
"Shhhh" said Thranduil as he enveloped his arms around his son. "I know, Legolas, I know." He held Legolas and rocked him back and forth as he did when Legolas was a child. Legolas only felt slightly comforted. It would be many long years before he felt such comfort again. There was nothing he could do to stop his father from leaving him. All he could do was to hold on to him and cry. At last they pulled apart and Thranduil handed him the journal that they had written in only moments ago. "This is for you, ion nin, to give you comfort is you cannot find it anywhere else."  
  
"Thank you, Ada," said Legolas as he pressed the book close to him. Thranduil nodded and began to board the ship. Legolas felt a sudden dread strike his heart. "Wait! Ada!" He ran to his father and embraced him, finally saying the words he couldn't say before. "I love you, Ada. Good journey" He let a breath out, relieved that eh could finally say what he wanted to say.  
  
Thranduil smiled, but he felt a tug in his heart, stronger then the call of the sea. But he resisted it. He had to go, it was time for him to leave Middle-Earth. "And I you, Legolas. I will be waiting for you, across the sea. Do not forget to write!" with a kiss on the forehead, Thranduil was on the ship. As it sailed away toward the horizon, the eyes of father and son never left each other...  
  
Fourth Age, Year 120  
  
Legolas closed the journal. He could not find solace either for now that his last link to Middle-Earth was gone, memories of the past grieved him greatly, reminding him of an age past, and a happy life that he could not go back to. He felt the tears slide down his cheeks as faces long forgotten flew through his mind. The members of the Fellowship who had passed, the elves he befriended that had heard the call of the sea or had died, the mortal friends he had seen come and go over the long years of his life. He wiped the tears away with the back of his hand, but still more flowed. He let all of is grief out now. He had to be strong before as one by one the people he loved left him, for the sake of others. But now there was no one to be strong for save Arwen, but Arwen wasn't with him.  
  
"Oh Valar, why now? Why was Estel not an elf?" he asked, already knowing the answer. "Strong" he whispered to himself. "I have to be strong, for my sake, if not for Arwen's." He slowly laid down on his bed, listening to the sounds of the funeral preparations before falling asleep.  
  
The next morning was a somber one. It was silent throughout the white city. It seemed as if all of the peoples of Arda had traveled to Gondor to pay their respects to Gondor's departed king. As it should be, thought Legolas to himself. He was glad that Estel's elven family had already passed. He went to Arwen, who was bent over the still body on the stone platform. Tears fell from her face as she relived the life that had suddenly left her. A life filled with laughter and love. She did not turn around.  
  
"I have to leave, Legolas" she said softly. He would not have heard it were not an elf. "I cannot stay here any longer. It is no longer my home now that Estel has left it. It is cold and unwelcome." Behind her, Legolas nodded. He could not stop her from leaving, but he would go with her, wherever she went. He would keep his prmise to Aragorn.  
  
"Where will you go, Lady?" He asked.  
  
"To Lorien. I will never be home anywhere else." He understood. She had rarely been in Rivendell, she had spent most of her life in the fair woods of the Lady after her mother passed into the west. "Leave me, Legolas for now too many people have hovered over me today. I wish to be alone." He nodded and silently walked away. He walked back into his rooms and threw himself into sending his belonging to the southern shore.  
  
Hours later, as the last of his belongings had been sent away, leaving Legolas with only his journal and what he with to Gondor one hundred and twenty years ago with Aragorn and Gimli, Eldarion rushed into his rooms.  
  
"Legolas! Legolas!" he exclaimed. "She has left! Naneth is gone!" Legolas paused for a moment, taking a close look at Aragorn's son. Eldarion had inherited Aragorn's physical appearance and the longevity of the Dunedein. However, he had his mother's delicately pointed ears. He was nearing middle age now and still but a child to Legolas.  
  
"Calm down, Eldarion," Legolas said. "You know that she would leave sooner or later. Did she say anything to you?" Poor Eldarion, Legolas thought. Though capable, he always had the knowledge that his father would come back to him. Now that the knowledge was gone, he was on his own, and he was unsure.  
  
"She gathered myself and my sisters together in the common room. She was in her traveling clothes. She told us that she could stay in the city no longer, even though she loved each of us with all of her heart. " Eldarion paused for a breath and then continued. "She left not long after that. To where, she would not tell us. You are the only one who knows."  
  
"I know, she did not wish to be followed," Legolas said simply. "Do not fear for her, Aragornrion. She will be all right, I will see to it. But you must take your father's place. Pray to the Valar that she has had a good journey, to wherever she chooses to go." Eldarion nodded and left. Legolas stood in his bare room for the last time and looked around, remembering what detail he could. He took his Mirkwood bow with him and hoisted his sack onto his back and stole away into the night, following the light of Estel's Star to Lothlorien.  
It took him a week to travel to the borders of Lorien on foot. Each step of the way, he lingered a little bit, memorizing the sights and smells, the memories that he would leave in each place. But he did not tarry long for he knew that every moment he lingered, Arwen was fading away, alone, before he could say farewell.  
  
He found her lying in her bed, tears slowly making its way down her face. She was dressed as she was on her wedding day, pale blue, her hair held back by the gold and silver Evenstar circlet she wore on her head. In her hand, she held the ring that Aragorn slipped on to her finger on her bonding day. She was paler and thinner than when he saw her last. He could see the signs of fading upon her face. She was older looking now, but no less beautiful. Her breathing was week and Legolas could see in her eyes that she was impatient to leave Arda forever. Life was not life without her Estel.  
  
"Undomiel," he said softly, his voice no more than a whisper. It would not be long now, before she truly faded. "I am here, you need not be alone in your grief." She turned her head to face him.  
  
"Thank you, Legolas," she spoke just as softly as he had. "You did not need to come." She knew that he could have gone straight to the southern shores.  
  
"Yes I did. I promised him that you would not be alone, Arwen, when you faded. And you will not be."  
  
"I feel it Legolas, the bitterness of mortal life. The parting, the sadness." She wasn't really listening to him anymore. She didn't have the strength to. She was comforted by his presence, and that was all she cared about.  
  
"I feel it too. We all do, immortal or not," he replied. He held her now, in his arms. All around them, the leaves of the great mallorn trees fell, never to come to life again. The lives of the great trees were ending with the Evenstar. It was as if they sensed the ending of an era. All was silent for awhile. He held her close to him, providing what comfort her could, knowing that he was not Aragorn, not even in her last moments he would be, They sat there together, in her room, listening to the sounds of winter flow around them.  
  
Then Arwen grew weary of life. "Legolas," she said.  
  
"Yes?" he held her closer now. The end was truly upon her. He did not wish to lose her anymore than he wished for Aragorn to pass into the unknown.  
  
"I see a light," she breathed. "Almost as bright as the Evenstar I once wore." Legolas didn't say anything, he only listened with his heart. "Before you leave, tell Ada that I do not regret my choice."  
  
"I will," he whispered. He could only watch and reply to her as she faded away.  
  
"There is a man there, waiting for me. Legolas! It is Estel! He has been waiting for me! Can you not see him?" her face turned toward a light her could not see, she smiled at a man, the presence of a man he knew to be there.  
  
The man in front of the light held out a hand to her. "Mae govennen, meleth nin, I have been waiting for you." She only laughed and kissed him. She turned towards Legolas, gave him a small with and left with her beloved.  
  
Legolas held the limp form close to him and let the tears run down his face. It was almost too much. With Arwen's death, his heart had been shattered into pieces. He did not know when or how his heart would mend. When he reached Valinor perhaps. He lay Arwen's body down on the bed, and covered her with a soft blanket. He walked outside to a small clearing in the wood and began to dig her grave. It was slow and tedious, but he kept at it, not knowing what else to do. He finished a few hours later. He carried her, still wrapped in the blanket, and laid her to rest. He murmured a soft elven prayer with a bowed head before taking up his shovel again and refilling the earth.  
  
Legolas set the shovel against the tree. He task was done, his final promise kept. He once again gathered his belongings and made his way through the wood, beginning his long journey to the southern shore.  
  
For two weeks, he walked with his heart full. He stopped only to write in his journal, to let his grief out. It was the only thing he could confide in. Long entries he wrote mostly memories that he did not wish to forget. As he walked closer to the southern shore, another yearning pulled at his heart. It was the call of the sea. It was calling him home.  
  
He saw the white sands of the shore on the fifteenth morning since he left Lorien. He also saw a most welcome sight and heard the most wonderful sound.  
  
"Laddie!" came a gruff voice. "You almost had me thinking that you weren't going!" Legolas gave the great bearded creature a puzzled look.  
  
"Not going? Whatever gave you that thought, dear friend Gimli?" he could not help but laugh and feel relived. Not all of his friends had passed.  
  
"Very funny. How are you holding up? It has been a hard period for us all, especially for you. No lies now, unless you wish to face the blunt of my axe." Gimli looked at Legolas, examining his physical health.  
  
"I am alright, Gimli. It is only a sadness in my heart that I will always feel." Legolas replied. He tried to push away the lump he felt in his throat. "Are we ready to go?" Gimli nodded.  
  
"Aye, everything is loaded. I have only been waiting for you to arrive." He held up a gloved hand to stop the flood of apologies that was sure to come from Legolas. "Don't apologize. We will leave when you are ready." Legolas looked around and then started to board the ship.  
  
"I am ready now," he said and Gimli followed him. After a short while, they had the ship moving, heading towards the undying lands in the west. As the ship left the shores of Middle-Earth, he ran to the back of the ship and said his own final farewell to Arda. "Namarie, fair lands, once my home. May the Valar grand you eternal peace." He stood there, until the last mountain peaks were no more than a dot to his eye, and faded out of site.  
  
~Finis  
  
Feedback??? Please feed me! I know, this sucks, but feed me anyways! 


End file.
